Three people were killed and at least three others were injured Tuesday afternoon in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 10 in Ontario, California, after a semi-truck slammed into stopped traffic, authorities said.
The driver, identified as 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh, has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, according to a criminal complaint filed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities allege Singh was driving a Freightliner semi-truck at a high rate of speed and failed to stop as traffic slowed, causing a chain-reaction collision involving eight vehicles, including four commercial trucks.
Victims and Injuries
The crash claimed the lives of a 54-year-old man driving a Toyota Tacoma and two occupants of a Kia Sorento, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Several others sustained injuries: a 43-year-old driver of a Dodge Avenger and a 59-year-old pedestrian were seriously hurt, while a 57-year-old passenger in a Chevrolet 2500 suffered minor injuries.
Dashcam and eyewitness footage captured the truck hitting multiple vehicles in a fiery crash, veering into the shoulder, and colliding with additional cars before coming to a stop, the district attorney’s office said.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson called the crash a “heinous tragedy” that could have been avoided. “Had the rule of law been followed by State and Federal officials, the defendant should have never been in California at all,” Anderson added.
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Immigration Status and Regulatory Context
Authorities said Singh is in the United States illegally, and an immigration detainer has been placed on him by the Department of Homeland Security.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the incident, citing new restrictions prohibiting illegal immigrants from operating commercial trucks. “This is exactly why @USDOT has withheld $40 MILLION from California for failure to comply with our rules to protect drivers,” Duffy said on X (formerly Twitter).
Singh had been issued a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license by California in 2024 and a regular commercial license by Washington state in 2023. California officials confirmed he held a valid work permit at the time of the crash.
Federal and State Measures
The crash follows similar incidents involving foreign truck drivers in the U.S., including a fatal Florida collision in August involving a driver who entered the country illegally from Mexico.
Following these incidents, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has strengthened English language and eligibility requirements for noncitizen commercial truck operators.
